Universe In Verse | Radiolab

Intro

In this episode of Radiolab, titled “Universe In Verse,” host Maria Popova curates a collection of poems that take listeners on a journey through the universe and planet. The event “The Universe in Verse” features poets reading poems about science, exploring concepts such as the singularity, ecology, dark matter, and the mysteries of the universe. Through the power of poetry, this episode invites us to contemplate the vastness of the cosmos and our place within it.

Main Takeaways

Celebrating the New Year

• Completing a lap around the sun is a reason to celebrate a new year.

Exploring the Singularity

• The singularity is a concept that everything that ever existed was compressed into a single point.
• Marie Howe’s poem “The Singularity” explores this idea.
• Marie Howe was inspired to write this poem after trying to understand the singularity, but not having a background in science.
• The poem imagines a world without nature, tasks, or language, where every atom belongs to everyone.
• The poem ends with the idea that before Earth was even a planet, we were all energy.
• The line “Can our molecules remember it?” raises questions about the singularity and the origins of life.
• The singularity theory suggests that everything was in one dot before the Big Bang.
• The poem challenges our common sense and reminds us that reality is much larger than our perceptions.

Ecology and the Power of Flowers

• Flowers played a crucial role in the rapid evolution of life on Earth.
• Emily Dickinson’s poem “Bloom” captures the concept of ecology through the lens of a single flower.
• The poem looks at a single flower and everything that goes into making its bloom possible, viewing it as a system rather than an object.
• Emily Dickinson’s close looking and kind of fathoming an ecology before the word ecology was even around shows the interdependence and interconnection of living things.
• The performance of Emily Dickinson’s “Bloom” by Joan as Policewoman highlights the beauty of the poem and its relevance to understanding the strength and significance of flowers.

Dark Matter and Immortality

• Mariah Mitchell, a Quaker woman, was America’s first scientific celebrity and introduced a mathematically rigorous curriculum for astrophysics.
• Vera Rubin, inspired by Mariah Mitchell, confirmed the existence of dark matter.
• Rebecca Elson, a scientist and poet, studied dark matter and wrote 56 scientific papers before passing away at 29.
• Dark matter is matter that interacts with gravity but not light, comprising the majority of the universe.
• “Let there always be light” by Rebecca Elson, performed by Patty Smith, searches for dark matter and the hope for immortality.

The Mysteries of the Universe

• Two possible ways the universe will end: expanding till everything chills to death or contracting into a singularity.
• The mystery of the big bang and what’s on the other side of everything.
• The wish for warmth out of darkness and lack of energy.
• The bright star of resurrection is the present moment.
• The hope for deeper space exploration with the Hubble telescope.
• The Hubble Telescope operated like surgeons, scrubbed and sheathed in papery green, the room a clean cold and bright white.
• During the Reagan years, when we lived with our finger on the button and struggled to view our enemies as children, the hope for deeper space exploration with the Hubble telescope was strong.
• The first few pictures from the Hubble came back blurred, but the second time, the optics jived. We sought the edge of all there is.
• My God, it’s full of stars. – a beautiful poem called “My God It’s Full of Stars” by Tracy K. Smith, inspired by her father’s work on the Hubble Telescope.

Summary

Exploring the Singularity and the Origins of Life

Marie Howe’s poem “The Singularity” delves into the concept that everything that ever existed was compressed into a single point, known as the singularity. Inspired by her curiosity about the singularity despite lacking a scientific background, Howe imagines a world devoid of nature, tasks, and language, where every atom belongs to everyone. The poem challenges our common sense and prompts us to consider what existed before Earth was even a planet. The line “Can our molecules remember it?” invites contemplation about the singularity’s impact on the origins of life.

The Power of Flowers and Ecology

Flowers have played a vital role in the rapid evolution of life on Earth. Emily Dickinson’s poem “Bloom” offers a unique perspective on ecology by examining the intricate processes that contribute to a single flower’s bloom. By viewing the flower as a system rather than an object, Dickinson highlights the interdependence and interconnection of living things. The performance of “Bloom” by Joan as Policewoman underscores the poem’s beauty and its relevance in understanding the strength and significance of flowers.

Dark Matter and Immortality

Rebecca Elson’s poem “Let there always be light,” performed by Patty Smith, explores the concept of dark matter and the search for immortality. Dark matter, which interacts with gravity but not light, constitutes the majority of the universe. Inspired by Mariah Mitchell, a Quaker woman who introduced a mathematically rigorous curriculum for astrophysics, Vera Rubin confirmed the existence of dark matter. Elson, a scientist and poet, dedicated her life to studying dark matter and wrote numerous scientific papers before her untimely death at 29.

The Mysteries of the Universe and the Hubble Telescope

The mysteries of the universe continue to captivate our imaginations. The possibility of the universe ending through expansion or contraction into a singularity raises profound questions about our existence. The desire for warmth, energy, and deeper space exploration drives our fascination with the cosmos. The Hubble telescope, with its ability to capture stunning images of distant galaxies, represents our quest to understand the vastness of the universe. Tracy K. Smith’s poem “My God It’s Full of Stars,” inspired by her father’s work on the Hubble Telescope, beautifully encapsulates the awe and wonder of exploring the cosmos.

Conclusion

“Universe In Verse” takes listeners on a poetic journey through the cosmos, exploring concepts such as the singularity, ecology, dark matter, and the mysteries of the universe. Through the power of poetry, this episode reminds us of the vastness of the universe and our interconnectedness with all living things. It invites us to contemplate the origins of life, the beauty of flowers, the search for immortality, and the wonders of space exploration. By intertwining science and art, “Universe In Verse” sparks curiosity and expands our understanding of the universe we inhabit.